Eoin Morgan leads England to one-day win over Australia

A magnificent unbeaten century from Eoin Morgan inspired England to a four-wicket win in the opening one-day international at the Rose Bowl.

Australia opted to bat but only Michael Clarke made a major contribution with 87 from 97 balls in a total of 267-7.

Morgan shared stands of 95 with Luke Wright, who hit a six in his 36, and 71 with Tim Bresnan, who made 27.

The left-hander sealed both the match and his third ODI century with his 16th four as England won with 24 balls left.

The 3,000th one-day international since the format began in 1971 was played in perfect conditions on a glorious summer's afternoon and evening in Hampshire and witnessed one of the truly great innings.

England were humiliated 6-1 by the Australians in the one-day series that followed the Ashes last summer but the new-found belief in one-day cricket that saw the old enemy beaten in the ICC World Twenty20 final in May was evident again.

When Paul Collingwood was dismissed, however, they were looking decidedly uncomfortable at 97-4.

Andrew Strauss had clipped two fours in the opening over but edged a drive at a good one from the bustling Ryan Harris, who was timed at 96mph during the evening.

Kevin Pietersen, who has announced he will leave Hampshire at the end of the season, received a warm reception from the Rose Bowl faithful, but was even less popular than usual with the Australians after he appeared to edge a delivery from Harris through to the keeper when still to get off the mark.

Debutant Josh Hazlewood, at 19 years 165 days the youngest Australian to play one-day internationals, saw his first ball struck imperiously through the covers for four by Pietersen.

England's premier batsman, who averaged only 17 in his previous 11 internationals, recorded a fifty stand in 57 balls with Craig Kieswetter but fell when set once again as he drove low to backward point for 29.

England took key wickets at regular intervals

Kieswetter hooked the first six of the match but Hazlewood returned to breach his defences and then Collingwood made an ill-advised and uncharacteristic charge at Shane Watson and failed to clear mid-off.

Consolidation was needed and soon the requirement was 128 from as many balls, but unlike in recent years England had a player of nous, judgement and expert shot-making ability in the middle order in the form of Morgan.

After 18 balls he had only nine to his name but as with some of his many sparkling Twenty20 innings, he paced matters to perfection.

Much to the delight of the large crowd basking in perfect late evening sunshine, Morgan employed the reverse sweep as he collected three fours in seven balls, and Wright took the target below 100 with a glorious straight six off Watson.

When Wright was trapped lbw by a full-length ball from Harris, England still needed 76 from 91 balls with only five wickets remaining.

But Morgan continued to display exquisite balance, timing and placement, dominating another fifty partnership with Bresnan.

The only remaining factor was whether he could complete a century but a magnificent straight drive ensured that he did.

Allied to Morgan's magnificence with the bat, it was a fine containing performance in the field from England, with the Australian batsmen failing to capitalise on good starts.

They soon realised there were no demons in the surface and no significant movement, so Watson collected three boundaries in five balls.

Stuart Broad conceded two fours in his opening over but ousted Watson with his fifth delivery when a quicker bouncer surprised the opener who could only skew a pull tamely upwards, and Broad dived forward to clutch an excellent low return catch.

Australia were 58-1 after the compulsory powerplay and after Tim Paine was dropped on 25 by a diving Anderson at mid-on, England turned to the ever-willing Wright, who obliged with two wickets in his opening three overs.

First it was Paine, who got an inside edge back onto his stumps, then the prize scalp of skipper Ricky Ponting, who played two sumptuous strokes through the covers but on 21 tried to hook the combative Sussex all-rounder out of the ground and only succeeded in finding Broad on the fine-leg boundary.

Another bowling change proved effective when Anderson produced a wicket maiden on his return to the attack, dismissing Cameron White, who tried to cut one that angled back in, took the bottom edge and cannoned into the stumps.

Clarke, who played and missed at his first ball from Wright with the uncertainty of a man who has been dismissed for successive ducks in the last two matches, gradually began to find his touch, ably supported by the ideal ally Mike Hussey, with the 50 partnership coming from 55 balls.

But with the first delivery after drinks and the mandatory change of ball Hussey prodded at one from Michael Yardy to give Kieswetter a routine first one-day international catch as wicketkeeper.

Clarke, however, calmly progressed to his half century from 64 balls as another fifty partnership arrived, this time with Hopes, and the batting powerplay was taken between overs 45-49.

However, England dismissed the dangerous Hopes with the fourth ball of that segment when Anderson's clever slower ball bouncer was steered to backward point.

Clarke hit only one boundary in the final nine overs and it was left to Nathan Hauritz to stroke three fours in a cameo 22 as Australia posted a target some way beyond the average score of 218 by a side batting first at the Rose Bowl this season.

It looked a competitive total and but for an innings of sheer brilliance it might well have been a winning one, but it was England who will take a 1-0 lead into the second match of the series at Cardiff on Thursday.

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